These Broken Souls Of Ours
by ValiantToasters
Summary: Sakura locked away her heart three years ago, to keep herself from being weak. Just like he had said she was. Sasukes emotions left him long ago, but when the two meet together, will their emotions finally come out? angsty little oneshot, full of fluff.


at first when i started writing this, i just had the one image of sakura telling orochimaru she wasnt afraid of death. i built a little bit of a love story around that and well, the results were a lot weirder than i expected.

sequal? iunno.

disclaimer: i dont own naruto. YET. (dun dun dun...)

-

The pale sanin stood there, like a nightmare haunting her in her waking hours. But she didn't care anymore. This nightmare was outlived.

In retrospect, Sakura wondered why Orochimaru chose to appear as that grass ninja again. Perhaps it was to bring back the memories of the Chunin exams and of that boy who had fought beside her. But she was too far gone to care anymore. These emotions didn't reach deep enough to touch the heart that had sunken into oblivion.

The tongue snaked out and caressed the thin, pale lips that were twisted into a malicious smirk. "My, Sakura-_Kun_, how you have grown." The words slipped from the mouth malevolently, like a dagger searching for a soft patch of skin. But Sakura had put on so much armor since then; there were no soft spots left. She walked forward.

_Death. Whispers. Blood. _

Her steps faltered for a second as a vision overtook her. As before, she saw herself. She saw her throat being torn opened, her chest being penetrated by cold steel, but this time, she did not fall to the ground. She blinked as the vision passed, and she only smirked frostily. "That isn't going to work a second time." She smirked at the ninja.

Orochimaru stopped. This was an unexpected turn of events. "You aren't frightened by this. Why not?" he hissed. He had expected this killing to be quick and easy. Paralyze her in fright and simply destroy the worthless little kunoichi. But she was still walking. Why?

Sakuras smirk left her mouth, replaced by a dark anger. "For three years." She said, walking closer. "I waited for death to claim me. I didn't want to live anymore. Death was welcomed." The smirk returned, slightly more wicked. "Do you really expect to scare me with something I wish for every day?"

-

A dark, lean figure watched from the treetops. Her steps did not falter for some reason. Was this girl not afraid of anything?

-

Orochimaru smirked. "You speak of your beloved _Sas-kay-Kun_." He said, words dripping with mocking intent. "How you couldn't stop him. You tried as hard as you could, everything in your power to stop him." He tilted his pale face slightly, eyes narrowing. "But you _couldn't,_ could you?" he hissed.

Sakura felt her heart rise slightly from the darkness she had allowed it to sink into. "No. and I fear nothing you can show me. I do not fear death. But the question is," she looked up suddenly, amethyst eyes clashing with malachite ones. "Do you?"

-

It was because of him. He should have realized that sooner. Sasuke sat in the tree, watching in fascination as the once-weak girl now destroyed his former sensei little by little. She wasn't afraid of anything? He could probably prove that wrong…

-

Sakura stood over the broken body of the former Sanin. "I told you. I'm not afraid of anything. You shouldn't have tested me." Her words fell on cold, deaf ears.

"Well done, Sakura." A deep voice came from behind. She immediately knew who it was. "Why don't you turn around?" Sasuke asked, watching the petite body stiffen, and the pink hair jerk upright a little.

Why didn't she turn around? Truthfully, it was because if she turned around, came face to face with the man who had haunted her dreams every night for three years, then maybe her heart would return from the quagmire of nothingness she shoved it into all those years ago. She didn't want to have to face the eruption in her soul if that happened.

"Why are you here?" she asked through clenched teeth. She felt her heart craning itself upwards and tried forcing it back down.

Sasuke smirked slightly and walked closer to the smaller figure. "Didn't you miss me?" he leaned down and whispered into her ear. A visible shudder went through her body.

"Sasuke, leave me." She pleaded. Her heart was aching now as it resurfaced from the years of misuse. She felt crystal tears that she had pushed away for three years. Naruto had been strong, why couldn't she be strong as well? Lots of people counted on her now, and she had no time for feelings like this.

Sasuke frowned she had removed the affectionate Kun from his name. She had changed. Grown colder. There was an unwelcoming feeling around her. Was he the reason for this? Was he the reason for this severe change in her personality? A dull pang echoed in his abdomen, a strange feeling coming to reside there. What was it?

Sakura stepped away from him. "Please, just leave me alone." She said quietly.

There it was again. That uncomfortable feeling. It was growing larger, tighter, almost to the point that it was unbearable. He walked forward, following the pink haired young woman's movements.

Turning, Sakura held out her hands to stop him. She turned her head away, still unable to meet his gaze. "Don't!" she pleaded. "Please, it's too much for me. I cant…" she was unable to finish the sentence.

The ache in his stomach spread and grew, until it seemed to envelope his being. Finally he pinpointed it. It was anguish. And… was that regret? Sorrow? He felt _sorry_ for leaving this girl. This girl had never meant anything to him other than a source of annoyance. What had changed?

"Sakura, why won't you look at me?" he asked quietly. He wished his voice would carry more emotion, but that had been drained away over three years. It was the same monotone voice he had used for three years. The same lifeless tone that he had used to belie his feelings for three years.

The tears threatened to fall over the barrier of coldness that Sakura had subconsciously built around herself. Keeping her eyes low, she put her hands on Sasukes bare chest. For a second, she held them there, all of the memories of her life flooding back to her, overwhelming her. Sasuke as well, saw all the memories, sweet and sour, flash through his minds eye.

Regaining her composure, Sakura pushed Sasuke away, letting her hands slip from his torso. "Because…" her hands hung limp at her sides. "Because I can't lose you again." she muttered. Turning quickly, she ran off.

-

Sasuke looked down at the back of his hand. There, clinging to his skin was a single translucent tear that had escaped from the dull emerald eyes as she had turned to leave. For some reason, that tear burned his skin. He wiped it off, but the burning continued, and spread through his body until it contracted around his heart, making it hard to breathe. He hated the feeling. Tearing his eyes away from the place where he had last seen the flutter of pink, he turned to leave. He wondered what the he would do now that his sensei was dead. _Good riddance._ He thought to himself. But that still didn't change the fact that he no longer knew what to do with himself. The obvious answer to his dilemma was that he needed to kill Itachi. But of course, he couldn't think of that now. For the first time in ten years he couldn't concentrate on killing his brother. All he was concentrating on now was a certain pink haired kunoichi from the village hidden in the leaves.

What was an avenger to do?

-

Sakura absently punched a large oak tree, shattering it to splinters. Damn that Uchiha, damn her for not being able to face him. Damn this whole thing. She lay on the floor, the grass pricking at her cheeks. She didn't care that there was a rock poking uncomfortably at her side. She was preoccupied burying her heart after that unexpected surfacing.

She was determined to get over him. Determined to move on with her life. Sakura had seen Naruto in pain when Sasuke had left, but he had the strength to hide it. Everyone did. Except her.

She was the pathetic little ninja who had locked herself in her room for two days and cried nonstop.

But she was done crying.

-

_Three weeks._ Sakura said to herself. _Three weeks without seeing him._ She thought to herself before pushing the thought away, shaming herself for thinking of something like that. It had been one encounter, she reasoned. It didn't mean that much.

Or did it?

"Sakura, something's happened. You better get to the Hokages office right now." Shizune panted, suddenly, surprising the Kunoichi slightly. Sakura turned her gaze from the woman before her down the streets to the Hokage building. Without warning, she nodded grimly and broke into a run.

-

Sakura shoved the door open, bursting in the room full of several ninja.

"Hello, Sakura." Suddenly her eyes widened. She looked, really _looked_ at the man in front of her, for the first time in three years. He had grown taller, almost a head more than her. His beautiful black silk hair was slightly longer now, and she saw the chest she had pushed away, lean and defined.

_I can't take this…_ without warning; she turned and bolted back out the door.

"Sakura!" Tsunade yelled, running after her and muttering a string of profanities.

The pale man watched without any emotion in his face. After several moments, a small frown crossed his pale lips. She had looked at him- no, _stared_ at him- and this is the reaction? She runs? Had he really changed that much? Or maybe… maybe it wasn't the way he looked; maybe it was something deeper than the skin.

-

Somehow Sakura managed to get to her apartment through the haze of tears. She was vaguely aware that she locked her door, throwing herself on the bed. Her heart was now fully accessible. The encounter with the youngest Uchiha had pulled it out of withdrawal. Now all the emotions she had locked away for three years came back to her. Three years worth of grief flooded back into her soul. But she could not cry. She had locked away her tears long ago and so she simply lay there, hollow sobs echoing around the room, unable to move against the once more heavy burden of her heart.

-

Tsunade listened outside for several minutes to the wailing that tugged at her heart. She knew that no matter how much she wanted to, she was not going to be able to help Sakura. This was something that reached much deeper than even her healing powers. She was too far gone.

Tsunade knew that there was only one person who could help Sakura now.

-

"You." Tsunade took a swallow of her sake, pointing at the older Uchiha. His hands were bound at his back and although both were aware that he could easily escape, he made no move to.

Sasuke looked up, uninterested. "What?" his monotone voice never changed.

Tsunade leaned close to the prodigies face, narrowing her eyes. "I need your help."

-

Sakura couldn't stop it. She hated this, she hated the sudden emotion. For three years she suppressed how she felt, she denied her heart. Now she was catching up on three years worth of grief and sorrow. She simply lay on her bed and wailed, no one there to comfort her. No one was there.

"Sakura?" a deep, purring voice entered the room. She turned her back to the door. She didn't want to see him now. She _couldn't_ see him now. Suddenly she stiffened as a hand was gently laid on her back. The bed sagged slightly with the additional weight of another body. It was almost ironic, she thought mirthlessly. For almost eight years she had wanted nothing more than to have Sasuke in her room, on her bed. But now that he was here, she couldn't stop crying. She couldn't even look at him.

"Sakura please look at me." He said. There. Was that emotion in his voice? Sadness?

Sakura sobbed a little louder and shook her head. "I-I can't!" she said miserably. Why was he here? Didn't he have anything better to do?

Sasuke felt the dull panging in his chest again. "Why can't you look at me? You used to love to." He said, his voice carrying that tiny tint of emotion.

Sakuras sobs subsided only very slightly. "I don't want to look at you. If I do, I might love you again."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "You don't anymore?" suddenly the panging in his stomach became much sharper.

Sakura shook her head. "I didn't want to. I locked away all my emotions. I hid my heart. If I start loving you again," she curled into a tighter ball on the bed. "I'll only get hurt again." then the sobs started up again. She really was just the weak little girl that he had told her she was. She couldn't even face her emotions.

The hand on her back stiffened. "Oh Sakura," he murmured. The panging in his chest was unbearable. "I didn't know you were this strong."

Sakura let out a joyless, strangled laugh through the sobs. "Strong? You told me yourself I'm weak. I can't even face my emotions without breaking down." She curled tighter into a ball.

Sasuke gently wrapped both arms around the small huddled girl, pulling her up to his hurting chest. "Sakura, that was years ago. You are strong. To be able to keep working when you're under so much pressure, to be able to have people to depend on without anyone for you to depend on…" his rested his chin on the top of the girls head. "You're strong, Sakura."

At those three words, any boundaries that Sakura had, anything she had been holding back, all came out in a torrent of sobs. She clung desperately to the man that had caused her this grief, her petite hands wrapped around the loose clothing, her head buried in his chest. Soon real, sorrow-filled teardrops formed under her eyelids and suddenly she was releasing all the hate, anger and mourning inside of her.

For three hours, he simply held her there. Rocking her back and forth, waiting for the tears to subside. All he could do was hold her tightly, trying desperately not to let her get away again.

-

Tsunade leaned her head against the doorpost and smiled. The healing process had begun.

-

Finally, late that night, Sakura began to calm down a little. She had poured out everything that had been collecting inside her and now she was empty and exhausted. She sat next to Sasuke on her bed, clinging loosely to him as she leaned her head absently on his chest. There was a large damp spot on his shoulder where she had cried for so long.

"Sasuke…" she whispered. "Why?"

He wrapped his arms tighter around her, pulling her closer. "You needed it."

Sakura simply sat there. Seeming to melt into his arms. suddenly, on impulse, Sasuke put one finger under Sakura's chin and forced her chin upwards. Slowly, she yielded until obsidian and now-bright neon green eyes clashed.

Sakura felt the well inside her fill up again, full of something she hadn't felt for a long time.

Sasuke also, felt something inside of him snap. It was a feeling that was unfamiliar to him, but he knew instantly what it was.

Love.

-

adore it? abhor it? tell me all!

you want me to make a sequal? well then review! thanks a ton!


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